Chapter 5: You, again?
1098 Words
“Why? Why must this happen to me all the time?!” Faith cried out, kicking her bicycle in frustration.
Faith had been dismissed from work again! For the second time in one day. “Show me someone who is as unlucky as I am on this earth!” She said to herself, fighting back tears from dropping from her eyes.
She ran her hands through her tangled hair, her heart racing. “What do I say to father when I get back to the house? How do I face him? And how do I tell Jessica that I fumbled the job she got for me?”
All those were only but a few of the questions that ran through her head.
Suddenly, a voice, soft yet firm, interrupted her thoughts. “If you don’t mind, I can be of help.”
Faith spun around, surprised to see Mark standing a few paces behind her. He had stood there for quite a while, watching her reel from the loss of her job. “How long had he been standing there?” She thought.
“Oh, you!” She exclaimed, forcing the words out of her mouth. “Why are you here?”
Mark moved closer, his hand extended in a gesture that seemed oddly formal. “Hi, my name is Mark.” He introduced himself.
Faith hesitated. There was something weird about his presence, but she took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before offering her hand.
“I am Faith,” she said, her voice quieter now.
As their hands met, Mark’s gaze traveled from the tousled strands of her hair down to her sandals. The vibrant, sexy woman he had seen at Mr. Cole’s was gone, now replaced with Faith looking like a mare commoner.
He was quite disappointed at her sight, because he was a man of class and loved beautiful women, but she was a far cry from that in those clothes.
But still, beneath the surface, there was an undeniable beauty, something intriguing that made him want to know her more.
“Well, you seem like you have a lot going on, and maybe, I can help with some of it.” He paused, weighing his next words carefully. “After all, I’m partly to blame for you losing your job and I can start by dropping you off.”
Faith shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting toward the ground. Accepting help from a complete stranger was something she wasn’t expecting when she left her house that morning.
But at this point, it seemed like she had no choice, and she needed to work so badly. How would they eat at home if she didn’t work?
“Uh, I came with my bicycle,” she admitted as she gestured awkwardly toward the bicycle that lay on the ground.
Mark let out a soft laugh as he glanced over at the bicycle. “You rode that? How did a pretty girl like you ride a bicycle on the rowdy streets of New York?”
Faith felt even more awkward. She didn’t bother answering him.
His expression softened, and he took a step closer, bending down to pick up the bicycle. “Well, we can put the bike in the trunk, and I’ll drive you home.”
He wheeled the bicycle toward his car and Faith followed slowly behind him.
***
“My cousin can be a bit difficult, but I am sure it’s not something that you can’t work with.” That was the last statement Mark made before they got down from his vehicle.
All she could do was nod in agreement.
Mark had offered her a job at his cousin’s house. According to Mark, his cousin had just moved into a new property and was already hiring some workers for his house.
Faith didn’t mind working as a maid, because he offered to give her two hundred dollars monthly. That was over five times her previous monthly payments. She could use that to pay off a few of her father’s debts.
The amount didn’t make her focus on the part where she was told her boss was a difficult person. She couldn’t wait to go back home and tell all of it to her father and best friend, Jessica.
And that was the reason she asked him to take a turn, agreeing to meet with her new boss instead of going back home.
They pressed the doorbell and stood in front of the door. Soon, the doors went open. Faith’s mouth stuck open at the beauty she witnessed.
She had never seen such a beautiful house in her entire existence. Mark walked in, and she followed him inside, moving gently behind his back.
“Good day, sir,” Roonie greeted.
Mark answered with a pat on his back. “Faith, meet Roonie. He has been working for my cousin for as long as I can remember, right?”
Ronnie nodded his head in agreement.
“Get familiar, you both would be working together. I will go fetch my cousin.” Mark said and went off.
Mark left Roonie and Faith alone in the living room, and they quickly exchanged pleasantries before Roonie dashed off to continue with his work.
She stood as she waited for Mark and her supposed new boss.
Soon, she could hear some voices coming down the staircase, one of which was Mark’s. She quickly steadied herself, her head facing the ground.
“I must commend you, Kenneth. You did a good one with the purchase. It’s really beautiful.” Mark commended him, as he took in the beauty of his cousin’s recently acquired property.
“Ha! Thank you, Mark,” Kenneth replied, his voice soft yet firm.
As they walked down the staircase, Kenneth’s hand slipped into his jacket pocket, fingers brushing against his pack of cigarettes. He pulled it out and tapped a single cigarette into his palm.
He lit it and took a slow drag as they reached the bottom step.
And as they entered the living room, Mark gestured toward the standing figure. “Kenneth, this is Faith. The one who needs the work,” Mark introduced.
Kenneth’s eyes shifted to the woman, who stood, her head facing his ground.
“Faith, this is my cousin, Kenneth.” Mark said to Faith.
She raised her head up and her eyes met those of the billionaire. She shivered at the sight of Kenneth, her palm beginning to produce sweat.
His eyes struck wide open, as disbelief flushed all over his face. “You, again?!” He yelled.
- Writer
